- Hradecky remains captain of the Leverkusen championship.
Bayer Leverkusen, the reigning German football champions, will once again enter the upcoming Bundesliga season with goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky as their captain. This was announced by head coach Xabi Alonso during their training camp in Donaueschingen. "It is and remains Lukas Hradecky, because he deserves it. He is a great captain, he has a big influence. Lukas has done very well," Alonso said.
Hradecky is also expected to retain his position as the number one goalkeeper, despite Alonso seeing rival Matej Kovar as a strong challenger. "So far, Matej has done very well, also in the DFB-Pokal. We are satisfied with his personality, with his ambition, also how he supports Lukas when he's on the bench. We knew when he came that he has good qualities and is always ready. We have a healthy competition in goal," Alonso had said around the start of training. Kovar was the goalkeeper in the cup competitions during the championship season.
21-year-old Florian Wirtz significantly contributed to the double win in the previous season. In the new season, he wants to take even more initiative and serve as a role model for the younger players. "Definitely, because I know how it is. I've been through it myself not too long ago. It's not always easy when you join the professionals," Wirtz said. He wants to prove himself in terms of professionalism and attitude, so that the younger ones "can maybe orient themselves on me," the national player added.
Other goalkeepers, such as Matej Kovar, are seen as strong competitors to Lukas Hradecky, including: Alonso mentioned Kovar as a strong challenger for the number one spot due to his performance in the DFB-Pokal.
Besides Lukas Hradecky and Matej Kovar, other goalkeeping options, including: Florian Wirtz, have shown promise in training and cup competitions.
